


Shortcuts

by misura



Category: Primeval: New World
Genre: Community: smallfandomfest, Future Fic, M/M, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-19
Updated: 2015-07-19
Packaged: 2018-04-10 03:46:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,111
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4376012
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/misura/pseuds/misura
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The idea that he felt threatened by Howard in some way was, of course, ridiculous.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Shortcuts

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Tarlan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tarlan/gifts).



Mac stared at Mac who stared at Mac who -

" _Howard_ ," Evan said. "Not that I'm not glad to see you or anything, but what the _hell_ did you do?"

"Pretty cool, huh?" Howard grinned. Evan glared. "Hey, relax, will you? They're just clones."

"They're just clones," Evan repeated. "Are you kidding me?"

"Who're you calling 'just a clone' then, huh?" one of the Macs asked. "Granted, it _is_ rather difficult to improve upon perfection. Still."

"They're from the future," Howard explained. "Well, _a_ future. Honestly, I thought you'd be happier to see them. I mean, one of them did save your life after all."

Mac - the real Mac frowned. "Hold on. That was a clone? From the _future_? How does that even work?"

"Badly," Evan snapped.

"Seriously, you need to chill a bit." Howard started rummaging around in his backpack. "And you know what, I've got just the thing."

"If it's also from the future, consider me not interested."

"Hey. It's from a pretty cool guy." Howard waggled his eyebrows. "Or so I thought at the time, anyway."

"Let me guess. You met your future self."

Howard chuckled. "Close, Cross, but no cigar."

 

For a guy who'd been living on power bars for close to seven months Howard looked pretty good. In fact, he looked downright _amazing_.

Evan decided it might be better not to think too much about why, exactly, this kind of irked him.

"You think maybe he's a clone, too?" Mac asked. "Would explain a few things, don't you think?"

Evan bounced a stress ball off the wall. "Why would anyone want to clone Howard?"

"Well, he's a genius, isn't he?" Mac looked vaguely uncomfortable. Living with three guys who looked, sounded and thought exactly like you did might do that to a person, Evan figured.

"You're assuming genius is determined by genetics."

Mac blinked. "I am?"

Evan squeezed the stress ball. Hard. "He's real. I know he's real. He went through that Anomaly, and then somehow, he found his way to the future. All in seven months."

"Ah," Mac said. "Gotcha. Jealous, are we? Put out at no longer being the smartest kid on the block?"

"I'm not jealous."

"Right," Mac said. "Well, you keep telling yourself that, and I'm going to go home and see what I've been up to all day. I think I planned on going kite-surfing or something."

 

The idea that he felt threatened by Howard in some way was, of course, ridiculous.

On the other hand, Evan sort of figured that the reverse, i.e. that Howard had felt threatened by _him_ was anything but.

Howard refusing to answer most questions about the future didn't help.

"Look," Howard said, "I'd love to tell you. Honest. But I simply can't do that."

"You mean won't."

Howard grimaced. "I mean can't. You wouldn't believe me, anyway."

"Try me."

Howard shook his head. "You're just going to have to trust me here."

" 'Knowledge like this isn't power. It's isolation.' Your own words," Evan said. "Remember?"

"Nothing wrong with a bit of isolation," Howard said. "What'd I miss, anyway? Invented anything good while I was gone? Any new breakthroughs?"

Evan considered pointing out that Howard was trying to change the subject - without being particularly subtle about it. "Nothing much."

"Ha!" Howard grinned. "I knew it."

"Is that what you found out in the future?"

Howard looked cagey, which was a slight improvement over 'crazy' but only a slight one. "No. Maybe. Look, it's just - five years of working on the same project. _Anyone_ 'd lose their edge a little. It's no reflection on your worth as a scientist."

"Wow. Thank you so much. Seriously. I feel so much better now."

"No problem," Howard said, apparently deaf to the sarcasm. Maybe people didn't know how to be sarcastic anymore in the future. "Give me a few days to get back up to speed, and we'll whip up some ideas. I'm telling you, nothing like a long holiday to clear your head."

"I think I'll take your word for that."

"Your loss."

 

Three days later, they had a working prototype of an Anomaly Closer.

"Name was his idea," Evan told Toby, who looked unimpressed. "Not mine."

"Yeah, yeah yeah." Howard eagerly studied the computer screen. "Just give me an Anomaly to test this thing on, will you? It's been, what, two weeks since the last one?"

"Fourteen days, six hours and twenty-nine minutes to be exact." Toby pointed at a timer in the corner of the screen. "So we'll probably get one either within the next ten days."

Howard rubbed his hands. "Great."

 

"Be honest," Mac said. "Aren't you the tiniest bit happy he's here?"

"Honestly?" Evan asked. "Most of the time, I either want to hug him or strangle him. I mean, when he figured out that harmonic resonance thing, I could have kissed him."

Mac looked thoughtful. "Really kissed him, or just, you know. Not really kissed him?"

"Uh, sorry, you lost me."

Mac's expression changed from thoughtful to slightly exasperated. "Fine. Be that way. But for the record, I think it's sort of cute. You know, geniuses in love. Totally obvious and oblivious at the same time. I mean, I can't think of anyone else who'd put up with you, anyway."

 

Evan cornered Howard at the Anomaly Detection System, which probably meant the alarm would go off before he'd get this matter straightened out once and for all, but he figured he might still get at least a _few_ useful answers first.

"Are we together in the future?"

Howard blinked and then said, "Well, yeah. I mean, you're not _dead_ or anything," which was a dodgy, weasely answer if Evan had ever heard one.

"I meant together as in, I don't know. Married?"

Howard blinked again before he replied, "No." He sounded a little uncertain, though.

"You know we're not those guys, right?" Evan said. "I mean, we might _become_ those guys, but right now, right here, we're not. I mean, yeah, I kind of like you, but not that way."

"Really?" Howard asked. "Cross your heart and hope to die? You don't feel _anything_?"

"Do you?"

"Well," Howard said. "Duh. You didn't figure that out in court? What, you thought _your_ lawyers were actually good enough to beat _my_ lawyers? Give me a break."

"Wait," Evan said. "I was _right_. I won the case because I was right."

Howard stared at him. "You're seriously that naive? You won because I let you. But anyway, who cares? Water under the bridge. Bygones."

"You - I'm not naive," Evan said. "And I'm not saying I don't _not_ feel anything."

"Great," Howard said. "Dinner at my place tonight?"


End file.
